I posted this in my "Fans of British Music Unite!" thread. I think it's relevant here.

Here are, in my opinion, the most innovative songs The Beatles ever produced. They were certainly the most influential band of the 20th-century and these songs prove why.

She Loves YouBy: Lennon-McCartney
Normally, love songs are written in either first person ("I love you" or "She loves me") or in the third person ("He loves her" or "She loves him). "She Loves You," however, was one of the first rock songs to use the second person as the main speaker in the lyrics. Many other song writers have used the method since.

I Feel FineBy: Lennon-McCartney
This is one of the first songs to purposely use feedback in the composition. This innvoationhas since been used by musicians like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and many others.

YesterdayBy: McCartney-Lennon
The song uses NO drums, bass, or lead guitar. It's only Paul, his acoustic guitar, and a backing string arrangement. The string arrangement for this song gave The Beatles confidence to use more string arrangements in their later songs (like "She's Leaving Home" or Eleanor Rigby").

Norwegian WoodBy: Lennon-McCartney
This one is the first rock song to introduce the Sitar, an Indian intrument, to Western sound. John Lennon asked George Harrison, who was currently being influenced by Ravi Shankar, to play the lead melody on the instrument. "Norwegian Wood" also allowed Harrison to incorporate Indian music styles into his song writting (see "Within You Without You" or "The Inner Light").

Tomorrow Never KnowsBy: Lennon-McCartney
"Tomorrow Never Knows" is really the first time we notice The Beatles' psychadelic and more experimental sound. The production of the song used the studio heavily. In fact, some of the sounds they made were simply cut up taped noises that they strung together.

Yellow SubmarineBy: McCartney-Lennon
After years of steadily developing a more refined, mature, and adult sound, Paul McCartney decided to go simple. "Yellow Submarine" is simply a children's song. This showed other performers that, yes, rock stars could write less serious songs, but can still have it turn out well.

Strawberry Fields ForeverBy: Lennon-McCartney
This song is the demarcation line that divides the "old" Beatles sound and the "new" Beatles sound. Lennon was taking more risks in song-writing (here, the lyrics seem as if the writer is talking to himself) and all the members were experimenting more in the studio. The evolution from "Love Me Do" to "Strawberry Fields Forever" is profoundly stark.

A Day in the LifeBy: Lennon-McCartney
The song that ends the classic Sgt. Pepper's album is also its best and most innovative. The song is divided into three parts: Lennon's vocals, McCartney's vocals, and the ending. Risky song-writing, but epic.

Happiness is a Warm GunBy: Lennon-McCartney
Like "A Day in the Life," this song attempts to break new ground in song composition. Lennon had 3 different songs lying around and really had no way to finish them. So, he decided to combine the three into one song. The result is brilliant and highly innovative. It directly influenced Radiohead's "Paranoid Android," a six-minute epic song that is really 3 songs in 1.

Hey JudeBy: McCartney-Lennon
The Beatles were originally reluctant to release "Hey Jude" as a single; the song was almost 3 times as long as a normal single would be. The 7-minute song, written by McCartney about Lennon's son Julian, spends half the song with a normal Beatlesque piano composition. Then, it bursts into a sing along (the "na na na's"). It was one of the first popular singles that was over 4+ minutes and influenced many other bands to do long songs (see "Stairway to Heaven" for instance).

are very innovative introducing new instruments like sitars and otherwise creative songwriting

I included "Norwegian Wood," which wasn't written by Harrison, but was the first rock song to use a sitar--which Harrison played. "While My Guitar Gently Sleeps" is one of his best songs, but not as innovative as the ones listed above.

And I forgot to add something about the influence and innovation of "Yesterday": it is the most covered song ever. It's still relevant today.

I just listened to The White Album, which I finally bought yesterday. I liked it, but not as much as the other Beatles albums. I guess I'll need to listen to it a few more times. Right now, my favorite songs on it are "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", "Helter Skelter", "Blackbird", "Julia" and "Mother Nature's Son".

BTW, here's how I currently rank the Beatles albums I've bought (not including the Past Masters compilations):

the last five.
the second half of abbey road - starting after she's so heavy - is still one of the greatest moments in recording history. the blending is so symphonic it defies the term rock'n'roll.

Fav beatles songs:
Here comes the sun
The sun king
Because
Julia
Long, long, long
All you need is love
Blue Jay Way
Magical Mystery Tour
Two of us
With a little help from my friends
Good Morning
A day in the life